Transfer Talk: Man United move for West Ham starlet Declan Rice

The transfer window for Europe's biggest clubs is closed, but click here for all the deals. Transfer Talk will continue to scour the world's media and set correspondents loose to see what's on the agenda for the summer.

TRANSFERS

Despite signing a long-term contract at the London Stadium in December, midfielder Rice could be tempted by a big-money move to United.

However, the 20-year-old's contract situation leaves West Ham in a strong negotiating position and the Londoners are expected to demand at least £50 million despite him having played in only 56 Premier League games.

A move for Rice isn't the only thing on United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's agenda, with Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho also on his shopping list. Solskjaer, meanwhile, is planning a clear-out of some of United's ageing stars.

LIVE BLOG

23.03 GMT: That's going to do it for Monday's live edition of Transfer Talk. Be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the latest gossip pulled from Tuesday's back pages.

21.26 GMT: Widely expected to leave Old Trafford this summer, Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia has retweeted a report suggesting he will reunite with former Red Devil teammate Wayne Rooney at MLS side D.C. United, the Manchester Evening News reports.

18.12 GMT: Manchester United sent scouts stateside over the weekend to evaluate D.C. United playmaker Luciano Acosta, according to the Athletic. The 24-year-old Argentine nearly joined Paris Saint-Germain in the January window, before the deal fell apart at the 11th hour.

16.35 BST: Atletico Madrid are keeping an eye on Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne but are likely to be put off a move by his likely price tag of around £85m, according to Italian reports.

15.42 BST:Karim Benzema's fine recent form for Real Madrid means they could scrap plans to search for a new striker in the summer, reports in Spain suggest.

14.56 BST: Leicester probably don't want the season to end given the form they are in at the moment, but when it does Braga defender Bruno Viana is among their potential transfer targets, according to the Leicester Mercury.

14.23 BST: See below, where it says Borussia Monchengladbach are set to sell Thorgan Hazard to Dortmund? Well, according to Het Nieuwsblad, the club are keen to move him on to a club outside the Bundesliga.

That means Liverpool, evidently.

13.54 BST: Paris Saint-Germain don't tend to do things by halves, and Le Parisien reports that they want to sign not one but three defenders. Fiorentina left-back Cristiano Biraghi, former Manchester United player Daley Blind, now at Ajax, and Valencia right-back Cristiano Piccini are the players they are after.

13.33 BST: Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata, linked with this week's Champions League opponents Barcelona, has said he doesn't want to discuss his future. "I don't think right now is a good moment to speak about it," the Manchester Evening News reported Mata as saying. "I prefer to put the team before myself, and what we are going to face now is important enough to be focused only on that."

13.15 BST: Wolves wing-back Ruben Vinagre, part of the side beaten in dramatic fashion by Watford in Sunday's FA Cup semifinal, is interesting both Barcelona and Liverpool, according to the Birmingham Mail.

12.56 BST: BorussiaMonchengladbach midfielder Thorgan Hazard, linked with Atletico Madrid a while ago, is set to move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer, kicker reports.

The Belgium international would become the third player after Mahmoud Dahoud and Marco Reus to switch between the two Borussias in recent years. The reported fee is around €40m.

12.36 BST: UOL Esporte claims PSG are looking at Ajax winger David Neres. Meanwhile, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Napoli are waiting for PSG to offer around €70m for midfilelder Allan. Though we feel they might be waiting for a while.

11.58 BST: Despite the club signing Frenkie de Jong and seemingly being ready to let Ivan Rakitic go, the Croatia midfielder is set to stay at Barcelona, Sport reports.

11.34 BST: United States star Timothy Weah has told the Daily Record he feels continuing his loan with Celtic "is a possibility." The PSG winger has done well since his move in the summer, and the Scottish Sun reports that Celtic want to keep Weah next season too.

11.12 BST: Josep Maria Bartomeu has told ESPN FC that Barcelona could not afford to compete with Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba when he left Juventus in 2016.

Pogba and United face Barcelona in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Wednesday, but the France international could have been playing for the La Liga leaders had things worked out differently.

Barca held meetings with Juventus and Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, in 2015, reaching an agreement that allowed them to match any offer Juve accepted. But when United agreed to pay £90 million for Pogba a year later, they dropped out of the race.

10.44 BST: There are reports on both Sky Italia and Il Corriere dello Sport that Edin Dzeko is likely to move to West Ham in the summer. Dzeko was left on the bench by coach Claudio Ranieri at the weekend, and doesn't look particularly happy at Roma.

10.03 BST: Fede Valverde has said it is an honour to be linked with Napoli but he is happy at Real Madrid.

The 20-year-old midfielder has played 21 games for the club this season and is tied to Los Blancos until June 2021. Former Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, now in charge of Napoli, has reportedly monitored Valverde's season and is keen to bring the Uruguay international to the San Paolo stadium.

Asked about Napoli's reported interest, Valverde told Corriere dello Sport: "It's wonderful that a coach that has so much class and experience wants me. But I'm a Real Madrid player and I will give everything for this club."

09.37 BST: Arsenal are interested in Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico -- and the Mirror reports that the Argentina international left-back "has given the Gunners a huge boost by saying he wants to play in the Premier League."

08.45 BST: Young Real Madrid centre-back Jesus Vallejo remains confident he can be a long-term success at the Bernabeu despite reports he will be moved on in the summer because he is not part of Zinedine Zidane's first-team plans.

Former Real Zaragoza youngster Vallejo, 22, has started just two games in another injury-affected season and is the only currently fit senior player not to feature at all in the four games since Zidane returned as coach.

However a source close to the player told ESPN FC they had heard nothing yet from the club and Vallejo, under contract until June 2021, remains "delighted" to be Madrid player.

08.00 BST: Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said he does not want to sign a midfield alternative to Jorginho but would like to make Mateo Kovacic's loan from Real Madrid permanent.

Since the January sale of Cesc Fabregas, the coach said Kovacic is the only other player in his squad capable of filling in at the base of midfield.

"You know very well that, in that position, we have some problems because we have only Jorginho," Sarri, whose side face West Ham at home on Monday, told a news conference. "In my opinion, Kovacic could become a very good central midfielder.

"Of course he is not a defensive midfielder but, as you know, in that position I prefer a very technical player. For us it's very important for us to have big quality in that position. Big quality not for the last pass, but big quality in terms of moving the ball."

Asked whether he would like to see Chelsea sign someone else to play the role, Sarri said: "No, I want to try with Kovacic. He is only on loan, of course. I'd like very much that Kovacic will stay with us."

PAPER TALK (by James Capps)

Real seek cut-price Hazard switch

Real Madrid are stepping up their pursuit of Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard, with the Telegraph saying they want a deal to be done before the end of the season.

Hazard's contract at Stamford Bridge expires in summer 2020 and, with the 28-year-old seemingly not interested in signing an extension, Real are confident they can get their man on a relatively cheap deal.

Chelsea value the Belgium international at £100 million, but Madrid officials are reluctant to pay anything above £85 million as they look to make the Chelsea No. 10 their first major signing of the second Zinedine Zidane era.

Ndombele attracts attention from six of the best

Ndombele is developing a big reputation following some impressive displays in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, having signed permanently from Amiens last summer for €8 million.

His performances have attracted attention from some of the continent's biggest sides, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain keeping an eye on the 22-year-old.

But Juventus appear to have stolen a march after the player's agent met officials in January ahead of a potential €60 million switch in the summer.

Tap ins

-- Roma are eyeing a cut-price move for Sevilla winger Pablo Sarabia. The 26-year-old has just over a year left on his contract and could be available for €18 million in the summer, with the Calciomercato claiming claiming Roma will trigger his release clause in the coming months.

-- Chelsea are plotting a permanent deal for on-loan Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian has become a mainstay in the Blues midfield, racking up 30 starts for Mauricio Sarri's side, but a deal is dependent on the outcome of the club's appeal against a two-window transfer ban. Chelsea boss Sarri has said Kovacic is the type of player he needs for his system.

-- Calciomercato claims Juventus are interested in signing Roma defender Kostas Manolas, but only if Claudio Ranieri's side fail to qualify for the Champions League. Greece international Manolas has a contract at the Stadio Olimpico until 2022, but failure to finish in the top four could tempt him to move elsewhere.